What to Put Down Between Patio Stones for Sidewalks?

Trimming with an herbal ground cover scents the air around a walkway.

Patio stones, also called pavers, laid tightly together form a solid sidewalk and joints are filled with mason's sand to keep them in place. Move the pavers 3 to 5 inches apart, and you have a free-form walkway with spaces that can be filled with decorative materials. Install pavers by digging out a pathway in the lawn and then lining it with landscape fabric topped with 2 to 3 inches of stone dust. Dig to a depth that will allow you to install the pavers so they're even with the lawn or sit slightly above it, depending on your preference. How you prepare the area between the pavers depends on what you intend to install.

Decorative Gravel

In a free-form walkway, fill the area between pavers with decorative gravel for beauty, as well as weed suppression and moisture retention in the soil. Choose a round, smooth river rock 1 to 2 inches in size, in a color that complements your patio stones. Brown pavers can be paired with multicolored river rock in shades of tan, reds and white, or choose just a single color. For something softer on bare feet, try smaller pea gravel ranging in size from 1/8 inch to 1/ 4 inch. It comes in earth tones, grays or blues. To install gravel between pavers, remove the grass at the same time you dig it out for the pavers and to the same depth. Install gravel on top of landscape fabric to prevent it from sinking, and with lawn edging to keep it from straying into the yard.

Compacting Mulch

Use shredded mulch made from recycled lumber to surround patio stones in a walkway. It can be dyed to look like pine or hardwoods such as maple. Mulch packs well, staying put and making a great weed suppressor. Remove the lawn to a depth of 4 inches; apply mulch 3.5 inches deep, and it will stay out of the grass without the use of edging and decompose into the soil. Rubber mulch comes in green, red, blue and even black. Its springy nature reduces impact on your joints when you walk on the pathway, and it will last for several years without replenishing.

Natural Plantings

Soften the look of free-flowing pavers with creeping thyme (Thymus praecox “Purple Carpet”). It grows to 2 inches high, and stands up to foot traffic and dry conditions. In early summer, mauve colored blooms will color your walkway. Trim it with a weed eater to release a spicy scent, and to keep it in check should it wander into your yard. It's suited to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 to 9 and is not considered invasive in California. Prepare the soil between the pavers as you would for a garden bed.

Tropical Feel

Pavers in a free-form walkway can be installed on a bed of coarse sand instead of stone dust to level them, but if you live near the coast or just want to add a coastal feel to your landscape, add fine textured play sand above ground around them. It’s white, and doesn’t contain silica. Remove grass and apply to a depth of 2 to 4 inches. Keep a sand rake nearby to smooth out footprints. Raking sand can be a meditative practice to help calm the nerves.

About the Author

Diana K. Williams is a certified Master Gardener, has more than a decade of experience as an environmental scientist, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and environmental studies from the Ohio Northern University. Williams is a winner of Writer’s Digest Magazine's annual writing competition.